Way Back Home
by Ali Cobb
Summary: FLW/Jericho. Follows the lone wanderer's tale throughout the events of Fallout 3. Rated M for language and sex in future chapters.


_**AN: Hi, everyone! Well, as you read from the summary, this will be a Jericho/FLW fic as there aren't that many out there. I love Jericho, and I can only hope I do his character justice. It is rated "M" mainly for language but also for sexual content in later chapters. **_

_**I've taken some liberties with the story, the first being Jericho's age. I read somewhere he was in his sixties to which I was like "No way!". I figured that Raiders are around mid-teens to mid-twenties, if they even survive that long, seeing as the Wasteland is a harsh place to live. So, I'll make Jericho in his early thirties. Also, my LW will be a repair/science/medicine genius but can't fire a weapon to save her life, literally.**_

_**I welcome constructive criticism or comments on any mistakes I made. And, of course, I can't force any one to review, but I would love any feedback that you guys have. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little story!**_

_**Disclaimer: Fallout 3 belongs to Bethesda Softworks.**_

* * *

Jericho lit his cigarette, inhaling deeply as he watched the Vault girl step out through the Megaton gate. He slowly exhaled, cigarette smoke unfurling from his mouth. It had been a while since he had last seen her, and he couldn't help but wonder where she was going off to. He thought back to the first time he had laid eyes on her.

_He sat in one of the corner tables at Moriarty's, back against the wall – a habit he had formed from his days as a Raider. Never trust anyone, even in a settlement like Megaton. A half empty whiskey bottle adorned his table, and he grabbed it, taking a swig and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand._

_The door swung open and a girl walked in clutching a bloody bat in one hand and a 10 mm in the other. Jericho sat up straighter. She was a pretty little thing. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail so that strands of hair fell around her face. She was wearing a blue jumpsuit, kinda like…wait a minute. Holy shit! She was a Vaultie. _

_He leaned into the table trying to get a better look at her. He almost laughed out loud at the look of horror on her face when she met Gob. To her credit, she quickly regained her composure and began asking about her ol' man. At this, Jericho lost interest. He leaned back in his chair, savoring the whiskey in his mouth and letting his eyes rove over the girl. Meh. He'd seen prettier. And her jumpsuit hid anything of interest. He was about to go back to his whiskey when she moved to stand in front of his table._

_Jericho took his time looking her over, the bottle of whiskey held loosely in his hand. When he finally reached her eyes, he almost started. They were the clearest shade of grey he had ever seen. They were almost silver. They had a pained, yet determined look about them._

"_Are you Jericho?" she asked, and he didn't respond. "I need to get to Galaxy News Radio." He noticed that her jumpsuit was sprayed with blood._

"_Does it look like I give a shit?" A few patrons snickered. _He_ even cracked a smile._

"_That man – Mr. Moriarty – said you might be able to help me."_

_Jericho let out a hiss of breath between his teeth. What the fuck did Moriarty think he was doing sending this little girl over to him? Did he look like a fucking bodyguard? Then again, if the caps were good…_

"_1,000 caps up front."_

_The girl looked confused. Jesus fuckin' Christ. Little Miss High and Mighty probably didn't even know what caps were. _

"_You know, caps…payment."_

"_O-Oh, of course. I just – "_

"_You even got any caps on ya?"_

"_Well, no, but – "_

_Jericho stood up, grabbing the whiskey bottle by the neck and leaned down to growl into her ear. "Then I ain't interested." And he had walked out._

That had been three weeks ago, and he had only seen her a few times since then. He had learned that she had disarmed the nuke in the middle of town earning her the best fucking house in all of Megaton. Unfortunately for him, that house just happened to be next to his.

The times that he _did_ see her, she would go up to him and hand him a bottle of whiskey. "Payment" she had said for "taking care of her house". Not that he gave a mole rat's ass about her house. But free whiskey was free whiskey, and he wasn't gonna set her straight.

All her trips made him curious, though. Not that he particularly cared, but where the hell was she going every time she stepped out? He knew she hadn't made it to GNR. Hell, he was surprised she had even made it this long. She barely looked a day over 15, and green to boot. He doubted she actually knew how to use that 10 mm she lugged around everywhere.

He had been itching to go out into the wastes, himself. There was only so much he could do in Megaton, and he knew that he was slowly drinking himself to death. Maybe if he got a little action, it would break the dullness that his life had come to be.

"Fuck it," he said to himself as he flicked the cigarette butt over the railing.

He went into his house and started stuffing his old pack with the basic necessities. He told himself he was just curious. He would go out there and see what Vaultie was up to, maybe even shoot something – or someone – and then come back home satisfied that he had gotten that out of his system. This had nothing to do with her. No sir, nothing to do with her at all.

* * *

Adrienne chanced a peek from the corner of the Super Duper Mart. She could hear four, maybe five Raiders out in front of the mart. Her heart pounded in her chest. To her own ears, it was so unbearably loud that she feared that, as foolish as the thought was, the Raiders would be able to hear it themselves. Beads of sweat trailed down her neck and into the collar of her jumpsuit. She willed herself to calm down.

This wasn't the first time she had run into Raiders. She had seen them on her way to Arefu. Of course, she had avoided _them_ by just taking the long way around and hiding behind rocks. This was different. There was no way the Raiders here would just let her waltz in there to get the food and medical supplies for Moira. And she most definitely knew that they weren't the kind to be reasoned with.

She took a deep breath and clutched the 10 mm tightly in her hand. She was by no means a good shot. Instead of practicing with the BB gun her father had given her for her 10th birthday, she had opted to take the gun apart and put it back together. Numerous times. She had been more interested in the mechanics of firing a weapon than actually firing it. How she wished now that she had actually learned how to shoot the darn thing.

She had to do this now before it got dark. Adrienne hated being out in the wastes after sun down. Too many _things_ out there as it was – she didn't need to be meandering about in a place she knew next to nothing about.

Before she had a chance to make up her mind and confront the Raiders, a man – clad only in underwear – ran past her followed by three Raiders. She pressed herself against the wall of the building hoping against all hope that they hadn't seen her there. The Raiders were too preoccupied taunting and chasing the man, and she let out a breath she hadn't even remembered holding.

This was her chance. She had to make a run for it before they came back. Once inside the mart, she would be able to get her head together and formulate a plan to get rid of them when she went back out. She hurriedly made her way to the front of the building and opened the front door.

Her eyes took a while to adjust to the dimness of the inside of the building. She took in the littered floor, dirty with years of grime. To her right she saw a counter that divided the main floor into a smaller room. Maybe she could check there first.

"Hey, Soap, is that you?"

Adrienne's heart nearly stopped. There were more of them inside! How could she be so stupid! Now looking properly around her, she could see that this was a Raider den. Desecrated bodies hung from the ceiling. The rotting stench was finally making its way to her nose. The darkness of the entrance hid her from the Raider's view. She quickly vaulted over the counter and squatted down. Her hands began to tremble, and she doubled the grip on her gun.

"Soap?"

The Raider was getting closer. And he sounded cautious, perhaps realizing that whoever this "Soap" person was, he or she had not entered the store. Adrienne looked around her. She couldn't just go out there shooting. Who knew how many more Raiders were out there? Her shots would alert others, and she could barely hold her own against one, let alone a whole group of those merciless beings.

Her eyes fell on a lead pipe. Perfect! She may not know how to shoot, but she definitely knew how to swing. She reached for the pipe just as the Raider popped his head over the counter. She used the muscles in her legs as she stood to gain the momentum to swing the pipe in an upward arc. She hit the side of the head, and he went down with a small groan.

Shuffling and voices from the back of the store caught her ears. The rest of the gang had now come out to see what had happened to their friend. She quickly rummaged through the boxes that were stored under the counters. She needed some sort of ordnance. Her 10 mm was not going to cut it. Her hands came across a couple of land mines, and she placed them strategically near the door to the room. The voices got louder, and she squatted back down and pressed herself to the side of the counter.

"Shit! It's Langy!"

"What the fuck happened to him?"

Silence. And then the sounds of guns cocking.

"Who's there? Come out, come out wherever you are."

The sing-song voice caused chills to rise in Adrienne's flesh. She was going to die. She hadn't even been out of the Vault for a month, and she was going to die without ever seeing her father again. She swallowed a sob as fear raced through her body.

The door swung open, and the mines took out one of the Raiders. Curses rang out into the air, and she used that momentary distraction to vault back over the counter. In a moment of panic, she raced to the back of the store. Shots ricocheted off shelves as she ducked under the makeshift ramps. She took a detour to the nearest room closing the door behind her and clicking the lock in place.

She almost broke down in frustrated tears as she thought of the predicament she had gotten herself into. There was no way she was getting out of this one. The Raiders knew she was in here, and it was only a matter of time before they got the door open. Her eyes caught the robot in the corner of the room. She hacked the computer terminal next to it. A protectron? As in, a robot made to protect? Her heart soared in hope as the robot made its way out of its station.

At least the robot would buy her some time, and maybe kill some Raiders in the process. She rifled through boxes again and even found a first aid kit hanging on the wall. As she stuffed her bag with supplies, gunshots reverberated through the store. Adrienne looked up in surprise as the door burst open.

She hid behind the robot as it killed two Raiders, but their own shots had weakened it. A third Raider popped into the room and finished off her only defense. The Raider smiled, rotten teeth flashing as his lips pulled back in a triumphant smirk.

"Well, well, well. What have we got here? You're a pretty little thing, aren't ya?" he taunted, pointing his gun to her head. "On your knees. Now!"

He then proceeded to unzip his pants with one hand. Adrienne felt sick to her stomach. What little she had eaten was forcing its way up her throat.

"P-please don't," she managed to cry out putting her hands up in defense in a desperate attempt to try to talk her way out. She had no weapon, having left her gun behind when she had reached for the pipe. The pipe itself had been dropped in her hurry to reach the room.

He let out a cackle. "Beg and cry all you want," he sneered. "There's no one to help you now. Your friend out there is taken care of."

Friend? Did he mean the robot?

Suddenly, his head exploded. Bits of brain and skull sprayed her face. Adrienne pulled back in surprise, rising to her feet as she wiped her face with her sleeve. She almost cried out in relief when she saw her Megaton neighbor, Jericho, standing in the doorway.

It was all too much for her. The horrible smell, coupled with both the fear of almost dying and the elation at seeing a face she knew, made her feel weak. She vomited the contents of her stomach, heaving until she could only taste bile in her mouth.

"Hey, kid! You alright? You ain't looking too good."

Jericho's words sounded distant as they echoed in her head. She took a step forward and felt herself stumble. She vaguely remembered putting out her hands to break her fall and then darkness enveloped all her senses.


End file.
